Please join me over at our NEW BLOG: http://www.bakerssweets.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Saturday, June 09, 2007
I'm finally back!
Yes, I know... I have been a bad bloggin' momma. We have been back from China for 9 days and I am just now getting back on my feet and involved with my computer. Here are some photos from the past 9 days. I promise to be more diligent about posting!
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
8 days and counting!!!
WOW!!! It has been a while since I have posted! SORRY!!! We have been running around trying to get all the last details in place for our trip. We leave on 5/18 so that is 8 days away!!!! I took some pics of the little kids room. The decorating is not totally done yet and the room is COVERED in the stuff we are planning to bring to China with us PLUS the luggage so excuse the clutter!!!
We plan to post daily to our other site so visit us there while we are in China!
www.myadoptionwebsite.com/Luke
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
WHOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
We take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to show everyone what happens when a teenager buys the LIGHTEST hair dye available on the market ("Beachy Blonde") and then dyes her hair in her bathroom with the lights dimmed so know one knows what shes doing.
The ends of her hair were colored last week courtesy of a red Sharpie. She said she was "bored" in class. Hmmmmm..... Imagine that.
This is what Kiah thought about Katelyn's new hair color.
Ditto.
A quick picture break.
I openned the guest bathroom door 2 Saturdays ago to see this.... the guilty has not yet come forward. It has been suggested by a certain 4 yr old that Luke probably did it.
Blowing bubbles on the deck.
You know you're tired when you fall asleep while you are talking on the cell phone.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
7 Years ago today and the miraculous journey that we are on.
In a previous post I mentioned that I really needed to make a proper post concerning all the blessings the Lord has given us. I'm going to try to do that here.
First let me back up a little bit. 7 years ago today, Brandon and I were checking into Fairfax Hospital's Women and Children's Center trying to prepare ourselves for the most difficult thing we (together and separately) have ever had to face.
In Jan 2000 I became pregnant. We found out mid-February and soon discovered we were pregnant with fraternal twins. My due date was Oct 2, 2000. Immediately afterwards we lost the first twin which we know through the Lord to be a little girl who we named Samantha Leigh. She left us on February 10, 2000. The pregnancy of the remaining twin continued to be troubled. I was on bed rest from that point forward. It was at this time that we discovered that the surviving twin was a boy who we would name Brandon "Connor". At this point I was still spotting even with the bed rest.
We had several ultrasounds and it was soon discovered that I had a complete placenta previa. My doctor seemed very hopeful that as the pregnancy continued that the placenta would move up and back and the previa would correct itself. 2 weeks later I had the Alpha-Fetal Protein blood test (AFP test). The AFP test is where a blood sample is drawn from the mother to check the levels of AFP. AFP is a protein secreted by the fetal liver and excreted in the mother's blood. It is generally used to provide a screening for neural tube defects like spina bifida and ancephaly. I didn't give much weight to this test as the test came up elevated when I was pregnant with Katelyn. Additional testing during Katelyn's pregnancy showed no issues and the theory was that my pregnancy dates were wrong which skewed the reading.
I had the test and as predicted, it came back elevated. I didn't sweat this since I had been through it before. My doctor scheduled a Level 2 ultrasound. During the ultrasound baby Connor was PERFECT. After the ultrasound we met with the tech for a few minutes and all seemed good. She did make an offhand comment that my cervix seemed short but that my doctor would get back with me in terms of the results. I WAS HAPPY! She gave us the proverbial "pat on the tush" and sent us out the door. My mother and I went to the store, bought some blue balloons and a card and placed all our little boy's ultrasound pics in there to give to Daddy. It took about 25 minutes to drive home and when I walked in the door, Brandon was on the phone with the on-call doctor. You know in the movies when something happens and you hear that record scratch noise??? Well, imagine that playing right about now.
My regular doctor was out-of-town so the on-call doctor proceeded to explain that although the baby was OK, my cervix was dangerously short (1.5 cm) and that I was to be on full and complete bed rest until I could be seen by the Antenatal Testing Center. To make a long story short, after many tests (blood work, ultrasounds, MRIs, etc.) we were ushered into a small office and the Antenatal Specialist explained that I had a placenta accreta.
A placenta accreta is a condition where the placenta grows THROUGH the uterus and into surrounding internal organs. The placenta is considered to grow like a cancer. My placenta was growing through the floor of my uterus into my bladder area and dangerously close to major arteries. It was also breeching the sides and back of my uterus and may have already invaded nearby organs. Essentially, the placenta was growing out of control and it did not know to stop. With the seriousness of my condition we were told that without surgery I would surely not make it through another week. And our son, who was only 18 ½ weeks along, would have to be born early. We were told that his little body would not be prepared for life outside of the womb and that at 18 ½ weeks, our son would not even qualify for any type of neo-natal intervention. They were not sure but they felt by the images they had seen that I would have no choice but to have a hysterectomy. I immediately told the doctor that a hysterectomy was not something I would consider. I WAS ONLY 29!!! She told me the other option was to leave the uterus but I would then need to visit an oncologist. They were afraid that they would not be able to get the pieces of placenta growing within the wall of the uterus and that the placenta would then begin to grow again. Did you say the "O" word??? Ok, a hysterectomy will be fine.
By this time my cervix was no longer visible and I was 60% effaced which meant delivery was imminent. On May 1, 2000 Brandon and I packed up and checked into our private room where we were visited by many specialists. We were surrounded by my loving family.
On May 2, Brandon Connor Baker was born silently into this world amidst 12 doctors and nurses and while he was still warm, he was quickly taken to the arms of my waiting family. Our Reverend came the next day to baptize our son. My internal organs were saved and I was released from the hospital 3 days later. In the middle of chaos, God blessed us immensely
The following days, weeks and months were the hardest.… grieving for our son, grieving for our fertility, the absolute dark days of depression. EVERY DAY was a struggle.
Through a series of absolute miraculous events that were guided and orchestrated by the Lord, 2 1/2 years later we were blessed with the adoption of Jacob and then 2 1/2 years after that we were blessed with Kiah. We are now waiting to travel to get Luke.
Now let me show you a little something…. Our adoptions have all circled around dates. I think the Lord uses dates to confirm His will for us in terms of the adoptions. There have truly been so many "red threads" through our processes that I would have to say that even a non-believer would have to say these adoptions were the hand of God. The most recent instance was so glaring that I was stunned.
In the Bible it says that what has been lost will be restored. What you seek, you shall find. Knock on the door and it will be opened.
Look at this:
Samantha Leigh: due to be born in October but arrived in February
Kiah Faith Mackenzie: born in February and arrived to our family in October
Brandon Connor: due to be born in October but arrived in May
Luke Kellan Gabriel: born in October and will arrive to our family in May
We were officially matched with Luke on 8/22 (me and Brandon's birthday)
We got PA for Luke on 9/28 (my sister Danielle's birthday)
We received our INS approval exactly 4 months from the day we first saw Luke's face
We were DTC exactly 4 months from the date we first saw Luke's face
Our Consulate Appt of 5/29 is my Mom's birthday.
Luke was born on Oct 26, 2005 while we were in Yingtan, Jiangxi adopting Kiah. In fact the day that he was born we were touring Kiah's hometown of Yingtan and visiting her finding location. Little did we know that a couple of provinces away, our new son was being born. He was abandoned ofn 10/30/05 as we were flying to Guangzhou to get Kiah's VISA.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight....Prov. 3:5-6
Psalm 138
1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.
6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
There is no doubt that the Lord has blessed us far and above what we are worthy of or what we could ever imagine.
We continue to pray that Lord continues to place his hands over this adoption as we prepare to travel to China on May 18th to bring Luke home.
My final words for this post for everyone are... pray, pray, pray - Let God direct your steps!
First let me back up a little bit. 7 years ago today, Brandon and I were checking into Fairfax Hospital's Women and Children's Center trying to prepare ourselves for the most difficult thing we (together and separately) have ever had to face.
In Jan 2000 I became pregnant. We found out mid-February and soon discovered we were pregnant with fraternal twins. My due date was Oct 2, 2000. Immediately afterwards we lost the first twin which we know through the Lord to be a little girl who we named Samantha Leigh. She left us on February 10, 2000. The pregnancy of the remaining twin continued to be troubled. I was on bed rest from that point forward. It was at this time that we discovered that the surviving twin was a boy who we would name Brandon "Connor". At this point I was still spotting even with the bed rest.
We had several ultrasounds and it was soon discovered that I had a complete placenta previa. My doctor seemed very hopeful that as the pregnancy continued that the placenta would move up and back and the previa would correct itself. 2 weeks later I had the Alpha-Fetal Protein blood test (AFP test). The AFP test is where a blood sample is drawn from the mother to check the levels of AFP. AFP is a protein secreted by the fetal liver and excreted in the mother's blood. It is generally used to provide a screening for neural tube defects like spina bifida and ancephaly. I didn't give much weight to this test as the test came up elevated when I was pregnant with Katelyn. Additional testing during Katelyn's pregnancy showed no issues and the theory was that my pregnancy dates were wrong which skewed the reading.
I had the test and as predicted, it came back elevated. I didn't sweat this since I had been through it before. My doctor scheduled a Level 2 ultrasound. During the ultrasound baby Connor was PERFECT. After the ultrasound we met with the tech for a few minutes and all seemed good. She did make an offhand comment that my cervix seemed short but that my doctor would get back with me in terms of the results. I WAS HAPPY! She gave us the proverbial "pat on the tush" and sent us out the door. My mother and I went to the store, bought some blue balloons and a card and placed all our little boy's ultrasound pics in there to give to Daddy. It took about 25 minutes to drive home and when I walked in the door, Brandon was on the phone with the on-call doctor. You know in the movies when something happens and you hear that record scratch noise??? Well, imagine that playing right about now.
My regular doctor was out-of-town so the on-call doctor proceeded to explain that although the baby was OK, my cervix was dangerously short (1.5 cm) and that I was to be on full and complete bed rest until I could be seen by the Antenatal Testing Center. To make a long story short, after many tests (blood work, ultrasounds, MRIs, etc.) we were ushered into a small office and the Antenatal Specialist explained that I had a placenta accreta.
A placenta accreta is a condition where the placenta grows THROUGH the uterus and into surrounding internal organs. The placenta is considered to grow like a cancer. My placenta was growing through the floor of my uterus into my bladder area and dangerously close to major arteries. It was also breeching the sides and back of my uterus and may have already invaded nearby organs. Essentially, the placenta was growing out of control and it did not know to stop. With the seriousness of my condition we were told that without surgery I would surely not make it through another week. And our son, who was only 18 ½ weeks along, would have to be born early. We were told that his little body would not be prepared for life outside of the womb and that at 18 ½ weeks, our son would not even qualify for any type of neo-natal intervention. They were not sure but they felt by the images they had seen that I would have no choice but to have a hysterectomy. I immediately told the doctor that a hysterectomy was not something I would consider. I WAS ONLY 29!!! She told me the other option was to leave the uterus but I would then need to visit an oncologist. They were afraid that they would not be able to get the pieces of placenta growing within the wall of the uterus and that the placenta would then begin to grow again. Did you say the "O" word??? Ok, a hysterectomy will be fine.
By this time my cervix was no longer visible and I was 60% effaced which meant delivery was imminent. On May 1, 2000 Brandon and I packed up and checked into our private room where we were visited by many specialists. We were surrounded by my loving family.
On May 2, Brandon Connor Baker was born silently into this world amidst 12 doctors and nurses and while he was still warm, he was quickly taken to the arms of my waiting family. Our Reverend came the next day to baptize our son. My internal organs were saved and I was released from the hospital 3 days later. In the middle of chaos, God blessed us immensely
The following days, weeks and months were the hardest.… grieving for our son, grieving for our fertility, the absolute dark days of depression. EVERY DAY was a struggle.
Through a series of absolute miraculous events that were guided and orchestrated by the Lord, 2 1/2 years later we were blessed with the adoption of Jacob and then 2 1/2 years after that we were blessed with Kiah. We are now waiting to travel to get Luke.
Now let me show you a little something…. Our adoptions have all circled around dates. I think the Lord uses dates to confirm His will for us in terms of the adoptions. There have truly been so many "red threads" through our processes that I would have to say that even a non-believer would have to say these adoptions were the hand of God. The most recent instance was so glaring that I was stunned.
In the Bible it says that what has been lost will be restored. What you seek, you shall find. Knock on the door and it will be opened.
Look at this:
Samantha Leigh: due to be born in October but arrived in February
Kiah Faith Mackenzie: born in February and arrived to our family in October
Brandon Connor: due to be born in October but arrived in May
Luke Kellan Gabriel: born in October and will arrive to our family in May
We were officially matched with Luke on 8/22 (me and Brandon's birthday)
We got PA for Luke on 9/28 (my sister Danielle's birthday)
We received our INS approval exactly 4 months from the day we first saw Luke's face
We were DTC exactly 4 months from the date we first saw Luke's face
Our Consulate Appt of 5/29 is my Mom's birthday.
Luke was born on Oct 26, 2005 while we were in Yingtan, Jiangxi adopting Kiah. In fact the day that he was born we were touring Kiah's hometown of Yingtan and visiting her finding location. Little did we know that a couple of provinces away, our new son was being born. He was abandoned ofn 10/30/05 as we were flying to Guangzhou to get Kiah's VISA.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight....Prov. 3:5-6
Psalm 138
1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.
6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
There is no doubt that the Lord has blessed us far and above what we are worthy of or what we could ever imagine.
We continue to pray that Lord continues to place his hands over this adoption as we prepare to travel to China on May 18th to bring Luke home.
My final words for this post for everyone are... pray, pray, pray - Let God direct your steps!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Videos of Luke from early April.
A huge THANK YOU goes out to Amy Heymann who traveled in early April to adopt her daughter Sarah from Nanjing SWI. Amy got back from China a couple of weeks ago. She posted pics of the waiting children while she was in China and this morning she posted the video that she took during her SWI visit. There were 3 of Luke!!! THANKS AGAIN AMY!!!
LUKE BABY... JUST A COUPLE MORE WEEKS AND WE'RE THERE!!!
THANK YOU LORD!!!
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